Gaeilge

Irish

Alternative forms

• Gaedhealg (archaic)
• Gaedhilge (superseded)
• Gaedhlaing, Gaolainn, Gaoluinn, Gaelainn (Munster)
• Gaeilg, Gaeilic, Gaedhlag, Gaedhilg (Ulster)

Etymology

From Early Modern Irish Gaedhilge, the genitive of Gaedhealg, from Old Irish Goídelc.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡeːlʲɟɪ/

Proper noun

Gaeilge f (genitive Gaeilge)

1. the Irish language
   • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart, volume II (overall work in German), Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 123:

     šḱŕīvn̥̄ šē n ʒēlǵə gə rī wȧ.

     conventional orthography: Scríobhann sé an Ghaeilge go rí-mhaith.

     He writes Irish very well.

2. any Goidelic language

Declension

Declension of Gaeilge

Fourth declension

Bare forms (no plural of this noun) Case Singular Nominative Gaeilge Vocative a Ghaeilge Genitive Gaeilge Dative Gaeilge

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Nominative an Ghaeilge Genitive na Gaeilge Dative leis an nGaeilge don Ghaeilge

Synonyms

• (Irish language): Gaeilge na hÉireann
• (Modern Irish): Nua-Ghaeilge

Derived terms

• Gaeilge Mhanann
• Gaeilge na hAlban
• Gaeilge na hÉireann
• Gaeilgeoir

 

Related terms

• Gaeilgeoireacht f (“(act of) speaking Irish”)

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
Gaeilge	Ghaeilge	nGaeilge
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “Gaeilge”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “Goídelc”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “Gaeḋealg”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 345
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “Gaeilge”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “Gaeilge”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024

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Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Irish. Doublet of Gàidhlig.

Proper noun

Gaeilge f (genitive Gaeilge)

1. the Irish language

   Synonym: Gàidhlig na h-Èireann

Mutation

Scottish Gaelic mutation
Radical	Lenition
Gaeilge	Ghaeilge
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.